Chapter Twenty-Five
Carter leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’ll take it slow. We’ll be smart. And we’ll be careful. Really careful.”
Ethan nodded, heart pounding. “Okay.”
Carter’s voice softened. “And, Ethan… you will sleep in my bed every night.”
The words hit Ethan like a warm rush he didn’t see coming.
His chest relaxed in the best way, ducking his head a little so Carter wouldn’t catch the stupid grin.
He tried to play it cool, but his shoulders loosened, and he shifted his weight like he couldn’t sit still.
He nodded, pretending it was no big deal, even though something bright and steady lit up inside him.
Every night.
“Hey, Ethan, take a shower,” Carter said, moving to the hallway then leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, as if he already knew Ethan would do exactly that. “I’ll use the other bathroom. Meet me in the bedroom after. We’ve got early plans tomorrow—surprise plans.”
A sudden, unexpected lightness filled Ethan, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Surprise. Surprise plans.
The words bounced around in his stomach as he headed for the bathroom. Not in a bad way. Just… new. He wasn’t used to anything feeling like something to look forward to.
Ethan headed toward the bathroom, but the second Carter disappeared down the hall, his nerves kicked in.
He paused in the living room, suddenly hyperaware of every window in the cabin.
He moved from one to the next, pulling each blind down until it clicked into place.
Then he tugged them again, just to be sure.
The windows were locked. The doors were locked. He rechecked them twice anyway. Only then did he step into the bathroom.
The shower helped—warm water, steam, and the kind of quiet that made his thoughts slow down. But the second he turned off the water, his nerves came back. He dried off fast, pulled on clean clothes, and practically rushed to Carter’s room.
He slipped under the covers and settled in the middle of the bed, heart thumping a little too hard. The sheets were cool, the room dim, and he felt… weirdly safe. Like he was waiting for something good, which wasn’t a feeling he got often.
A minute later, Carter walked in.
He stopped in the doorway, arms loose at his sides, his brown hair damp from his own shower. And he just grinned—wide, warm, like Ethan being in his bed was the best thing he’d seen all night.
Ethan opened his mouth to ask what that look meant, but Carter didn’t give him the chance. He launched himself onto the bed and tickled Ethan’s ribs without mercy.
Ethan yelped, twisted, tried to escape, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. “Stop—stop—Carter—!”
Carter relented, flopping down beside him with a smug little huff. Ethan snorted, trying to shove his shoulder, but Carter only laughed harder. Their breaths slowly evened out, the room settling into a softer kind of quiet.
Ethan felt the warmth between them shift—still there, just calmer now. Carter’s knee brushed his, not by accident, and neither of them moved away. For a second, they just looked at each other, the kind of look that held onto the last bit of laughter before letting it fade.
Carter rolled onto his side, facing him fully. The playful spark in his eyes dimmed into something steadier, more serious.
“We’re taking a dangerous chance,” he said. “Being together like this.”
Ethan swallowed, the echo of their shared laugh still sitting warm in his chest. That lingering touch—Carter’s knee against his—felt like an anchor, something that made the seriousness easier to breathe through.
He didn’t pull back. If anything, he leaned in a little, barely noticeable, but enough that Carter would feel it.
“Yeah. I know.”
Carter sat on the edge of his bed, shirt already discarded, his muscular chest illuminated by the soft glow of the bedside lamp. His smile was gentle but eager. Then he stepped out of his underwear.
Suddenly, it felt real. Terrifyingly, wonderfully real.
Ethan’s breath caught before he even realized he’d stopped breathing. His gaze stayed locked on Carter—too warm, too intense, like he couldn’t look away even if he tried. There was a pull in his chest, something tight and hopeful, something he wasn’t used to letting himself feel.
“Is this really going to happen?” he asked, his voice low, rougher than he meant it to be.
His eyes didn’t just land on Carter—they held him, like he was trying to memorize the moment before it slipped away.
A little heat climbed up his neck, not embarrassment, just the shock of wanting something this badly and letting it show.
His fingers curled against the blanket, grounding himself, because part of him still couldn’t believe Carter was right there, choosing him.
Carter crawled into the bed and closed the distance between them. “I want you, and now I know you want me. It’s real.” His hands found Ethan’s hips, steadying him. “I’ve thought about it. About you. And us.”
The confession hit Ethan hard. He’d spent the time they had shared convinced he was alone in this wanting. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Carter’s thumb traced small circles against Ethan’s hipbone through his shirt. “Every time you smile. Every time you look at me like you’re looking at me right now.”
Ethan couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. “And how’s that?”
“Like you want me to kiss you.”
Ethan’s breath caught. “I do.”
Carter didn’t wait. He leaned in, pressing their lips together with a hunger that stole Ethan’s breath.
It wasn’t tentative or questioning. It was certain.
Carter’s mouth moved against his, warm and demanding, and Ethan melted into it.
His hands found Carter’s bare shoulders, gripping tight as if he might float away otherwise.
The kiss deepened. Carter’s tongue swept across Ethan’s bottom lip, seeking entrance, and Ethan opened for him without hesitation. A groan rumbled from Carter’s chest, vibrating between them. God, that sound. Ethan wanted to hear it again and again.
“You’re still wearing your jocks,” Carter murmured against his lips. Carter pulled them down and discarded them on the floor. “Don’t come to bed dressed for work.”
“Yes, Boss Carter, I’ll remember that for next time.”
“Flip over.”
As they untangled, Ethan’s knees hit Carter’s before he fell onto his stomach. Carter followed him down, settling his weight between Ethan’s thighs as if he belonged there. The pressure was immediate and electric. Carter rolled his hips, a slow grind that made Ethan gasp.
“Feel that?” Carter’s voice was ragged now. “Feel what you do to me?”
Ethan felt it. The hard length of Carter pressed against him. His own body responded in kind, arousal building fast and desperate. He’d never wanted anyone this badly. Never felt as if his skin might ignite from a single touch.
“Carter—” His name came out broken.
“I’ve got you.” Carter’s lips trailed down Ethan’s jaw, kissing a path to his neck. He found the sensitive spot just below Ethan’s ear and bit down gently, then moved down to his sweet backside, continuing kissing and licking between his cheeks.
Ethan’s back arched. “Shit.”
“You like that.” Carter did it again, licking deeper this time, marking him.
“I like everything you’re doing.” He wanted more. Needed it. “Don’t stop.”
The crinkle of foil tore through the quiet, and Ethan felt Carter’s breath warm against his neck, steady and sure.
There was no rush—just the soft slide of hands, the slick heat of fingers that knew exactly what they were doing, stretching him slowly until Ethan’s hips canted up on instinct.
A low, loving sound slipped past Ethan’s lips before he could stop it, half surprise and half encouragement.
Then came the slow press of Carter’s cock, inch by careful inch, and Ethan moaned with his eyes closed, because the feeling of being filled like that—deliberate and tender—was already more than enough.
Carter’s hips snapped forward, a sharp thrust that ground them together with purpose. The friction was maddening. Ethan could feel every inch of Carter’s arousal inside him, and it sent sparks of pleasure cascading through his entire body.
“Been wanting this,” Carter growled against his throat. “Wanted you so fucking bad.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“You know why.” Another grind, harder this time. “Scared you’d freak out.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Ethan said. “Not unless…”
“Never.”
Carter pulled out and flipped Ethan to his side, facing him, then he kissed him again, swallowing whatever response Ethan might have given.
This kiss was different. Slower. Deeper.
Like Carter was trying to memorize the shape of Ethan’s mouth, the taste of him, the sounds he made when Carter’s hands slid to Ethan’s belly.
Ethan made a tiny little sound. Then Carter’s mouth was everywhere—on his collarbone, his chest, the curve of his ribs. Each kiss was deliberate. Reverent. Like Carter was mapping every inch of newly revealed skin.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” Carter’s words were muffled against Ethan’s stomach. “You know that?”
Ethan didn’t. He’d spent years feeling too awkward, too much in all the wrong ways. But the way Carter looked at him now—like he was something precious, something worth savoring—made him believe it might be true.
“Carter,” he breathed. “Please.”
“Please what? “Tell me what you want.”
“You. I want you.”
The confession hung between them, electric and honest. Carter’s expression softened, his need tempered by something that looked dangerously close to affection.
“You have me,” Carter promised. “All of me.”
Carter’s hand slid lower, fingers gripping Ethan’s cock. His breath stuttered as Carter’s touch found him, wrapping around his aching length with a grip that was just this side of too tight.
“Oh, God—”
Carter stroked him slowly, twisting his wrist on the upswing in a way that made Ethan’s thighs tremble. “You feel incredible,” Carter murmured. “Better than I imagined. And I imagined a lot.”
Ethan laughed, but it dissolved into a moan when Carter’s thumb swept over his tip, spreading the moisture gathering there. The pleasure was building too fast. He was already teetering on the edge, and they’d barely begun.
“Wait—” He grabbed Carter’s wrist. “Too much. I’m too close.”
Carter’s smile was predatory. “Good. I want to watch you fall apart.”
“Not yet.” Ethan pulled him up for another kiss, messy and desperate. “Together. I want us to come together.”
Carter groaned against his mouth, the sound reverberating through both of them. “Together,” he agreed. “But first, I need more of you. All of you.”
The cool air hit Ethan’s heated skin, but Carter’s gaze was warmer than any blanket.
“Mmmm…”
“I want this to be good for you.”
Ethan cupped his cheek. “It already is. Because it’s you.”
Something shifted in Carter’s expression—a wall coming down, brick by brick. He pressed his forehead against Ethan’s, their breath mingling in the small space between them as Carter slowly entered Ethan again.
“I’m going to make you feel so good,” Carter said. “I’m going to worship every inch of you until you forget your own name.”
Ethan’s heart stuttered. “Promise?”
Carter’s hand closed around him again, and his smile turned wicked. “Oh, sweetie. That’s a promise I intend to keep.”
Ethan grabbed Carter’s face, forcing their eyes to meet. What he saw there knocked the air from his lungs. Carter’s pupils were blown wide with want, but underneath that hunger was something softer. Something that looked a lot like hope. Together they released and fell into each other’s arms.